The History of Hormone Replacement Therapy-Dr Ann J Peters

Dr. Ann J. Peters is a national leader in hormone replacement therapy. She bases her treatment approach on decades of scientific research that shows hormone replacement therapy is effective in reducing the symptoms of menopause, andropause and other conditions marked by hormone imbalances. Ann J. Peters MD believes that education about hormone replacement therapy will improve the results of your treatments, so she would like to fill you in on the history of hormone replacement therapy.

History of Hormone Replacement Therapy
Scientists developed synthetic hormones in the 1920s. By the 1930s, doctors were prescribing synthetic hormones to relieve symptoms in women approaching menopause. In the 1960s, the book Feminine Forever helped laypeople understand how use of synthetic estrogen could help women maintain youth and femininity. Demand for hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, increased dramatically.

Drugs used in those early days of HRT contained only estrogen. This hormone relieves hot flashes, mood swings, and vaginal dryness, itching and burning in women approaching menopause. Estrogen also helps to reduce a woman’s risk for thin, weak bones, a condition known as osteoporosis. Estrogen can also ease symptoms associated with certain types of cancer that has spread in the bodies of men and women. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approves the use of estrogen for these conditions.

Modern Use of Estrogen and Progestin in Hormone Replacement Therapy
In the 1970s, scientists realized the use of synthetic estrogen alone by women with a uterus could increase the consumer’s risk for cancer of the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus. In light of this news, many women stopped using hormone replacement therapy. These women endured months or years of uncomfortable symptoms and faced an increased risk for osteoporosis.

Fortunately, scientists in the 1970s discovered they could reduce the risk for endometrial cancer in menopausal women with uteruses by adding another female sex hormone, progestin, to the hormone replacement therapy regime. This combination of drugs reduces hot flashes, vaginal symptoms, and the risk for frail bones that fracture easily.

In 1986, the FDA reviewed all of the available information and determined HRT was effective for the treatment of osteoporosis. This announcement increased the use of hormone replacement therapy once again.

Today’s Hormone Replacement Therapy as Provided by Dr. Ann J. Peters MD
Contemporary physicians like Dr. Ann J. Peters can prescribe stronger or weaker doses of estrogen, based on your needs. She can also adjust the amount of progestin in your prescription if you have never had a hysterectomy that removed your uterus. Lastly, she can fine-tune your medication schedule based on your specific medical and personal needs.

Contact the anti-aging clinics of Dr. Ann J. Peters to learn if hormone replacement therapy is right for you. She has three conveniently located offices in San Francisco, New York City and Palm Beach, Florida to serve you.